March 7, 2015 – Tortola, BVI We arrived at Hodges Creek Marina, the MarineMax Charter base, an easy 15 minutes from Tortola’s Beef Island Airport, to board our MarineMax 480 Powercat. This was our first experience chartering a powerboat — we’d always chartered sailboats in the past. Our plan was to stay on the powercat Read More
BALTIMORE: Baltimore is a great starting point for your journey this summer exploring parts of the middle and upper Chesapeake Bay. The city has been through a tough time lately but we love it as much as ever. Now is the time to visit! You could spend several days in the city, checking out the Read More
Bon Voyage Welcome Aboard! We departed from our homeport in Vero Beach, Fla., headed north to Maine aboard our 78’ Ocean Alexander, Rhythm ‘n Blues. This journey took us to many ports of call, traveling over 5,500 nautical miles from Florida to Maine and back. The daunting task of making all of these marina reservations was Read More
Sharing the joy of the cruising lifestyle with family and friends is extremely rewarding. It brings people closer together and provides opportunities to learn new skills, enjoy nature, and have fun in a relaxed environment. And you don’t need a second stateroom on your boat to invite overnight guests to join you. When my husband Peter and I were searching for the perfect Read More
Since Sophie and Bailey made their first appearance on the cover of Marinalife’s Summer 2014 issue, several members have wanted to know a little more about them. We talked their owners, Bob & Dori Arrington, into letting us follow them on their winter adventure. These two Portuguese Water Dogs are no strangers to sea travel, having Read More
Our summer boating season has begun! My husband Rick and I cruise on Artemis, our Offshore 54 Pilothouse, which we purchased in Ft. Lauderdale in 2014 with plans of completing the Great Loop over a three-year period. Last year was our first year cruising and it consisted of four legs beginning in Ft. Lauderdale in Read More
How did an East Coast couple and their Down East lobster boat find their way from the Atlantic seaboard to Alaska The answer: When you dream big and don’t let anything get in your way, amazing things happen. This particular dream was 20 years in the making, and the plan began to gel before we even took possession Read More
Compass Cay is just one of the 360 small islands that make up the Exumas in the Bahamas. It’s also our little paradise, our favorite destination with our 66-foot offshore Happy Heart during the months of July and August. We cruise to and from Compass Cay on weeklong trips, bringing family and friends along for each visit. From the moment of Read More
Imagine being out on the water with family and friends and having a scary encounter with a large ship or tugboat. Not only can this ruin your day, it can severely compromise the confidence of your crew. As a ship pilot on the Chesapeake Bay for 41 years, I have had numerous close encounters with recreational boat traffic. Most of Read More
This is my fourth annual north-to-south repositioning for the winter season from Charleston, South Carolina, to Bahia Mar Yachting Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. While I enjoy the ease of cruising the ocean on my 58-foot Ocean Alexander, Lady Gigi, this year I wanted us to slow it down and take our time by cruising the ICW as much Read More